Category Archives: Change

How To Differentiate Yourself In the Marketplace

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According to Toni Newman, a catalyst for strategic innovation, improving your business incrementally year after year is no longer good enough to excel.  Incremental improvements have now become status quo and you need to work on continuous improvement just to stay in the game of business.  So what is necessary to thrive today in the business world?  In a nutshell….being different.

Would this same logic apply to employees who are struggling to advance their careers?  I believe so.  As a baby boomer, I grew up knowing that if I performed my job well, had a great attitude and worked harder than anyone else, I would see success.  This is still true today but it may not be enough.

So, if these great work attributes have become status quo, then what can a person do to get noticed in a positive way? Toni Newman recommends being strategic and not being different for the sake of being different.  By being strategic you ask yourself what do you want your boss, co-workers and customers to think and feel and know about you?

  • Share your passion- Toni Newman signs her Twitter messages with “Will work for chocolate”.  This is a great humorous way to get noticed and have people engage in conversation with her.  Now, will your employer allow you to add a tagline to your email signature?  I believe so if it is not offensive.  For instance, I know of one employee who loves the Pittsburgh Steelers and would add a tag line to his email, “Go Steelers”.
  • Make your appearance standout.  One worker wanted to stand out by the way he dressed.  He chose to wear a different pocket handkerchief each week to show his flair and get noticed.  A female could have a signature necklace, pin or earrings that can become a conversation piece with others.
  • Change your voicemail message- what if part of your strategy to stand out is to be known for your expertise and so you want to share that expertise. Why not use your voicemail message as an opportunity to share with others the work you are doing or your department is doing?  You will need to change this message frequently to stay fresh.
  • Create a memorable business card-I realize that your company may have a policy about consistency in business cards but could you add a tag line to your card that would help you stand out?  Could your card be made of a different material or a different size than your standard card?

Question for You:

Do you play it safe and hope that you will be noticed on your hard work alone?  Do you want others to take notice about your abilities so that you have greater opportunities at work?

Answer for You:

You need to find a way to stand out amongst your peers who are working just as smart and hard as you are.  What is different about you? Ask your close friends and co-workers what makes you different and use this knowledge to create a strategy that gets you noticed.

 

4 Signs You’re An Office Martyr

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Have you ever met someone at work or home who likes to let the world know how much they are suffering by the amount of work they must do each day?  At work I like to call these folks the office martyrs.  There is usually one in every organization.  They seem to get a natural high from self-pity and making others feel guilty for not working as hard.  Read below for four signs that you or someone you know may be playing this role and how to get on the road to recovery.

Happy reading,

Diane

Recently I was at party with a group of friends when our conversation turned to a woman who was more quiet than usual.  I asked her how her business was going and she took a deep sigh and said, “It was going very well…almost too well.”  Of course, the consultant in me took over and I began my series of questions for better understanding.  She went on to say that her company merged with another company and she was swamped with the administrative duties of this merger and was trying to connect both companies’ software systems.  I asked her when was the last time she took time off and she exclaimed…Oh I haven’t taken time off in ages…the company would fall apart if I left even for a short time.

My first thought at this last statement was sadness.  This woman had become the office martyr.  She kept telling herself how important she was by not letting anyone else do her important work. She was now so important she created a prison of importance that would not allow her to escape even for a few hours.  I believe we have all been this prisoner to some task in the past.  Are you this person or do you work with someone who takes on more and more work only to use it later to make others feel guilty that they are not as busy? What are the four signs you may be the office martyr?

  • Everyone knows how much time you spent in the office last week because you told everyone
  • Simple conversations with co-workers always end with you sighing and exclaiming that you don’t know how you will get it all done
  • Co-workers offer to help but you claim it will take way too much time to train anyone so it is easier to keep doing it yourself
  • You let everyone know how little time off you have taken as if this is your badge of courage

If you have this tendency or know of someone, here are four quick steps to recovery:

  • The minute you make others feel guilty of your workload is the flag you need to see that YOU have a problem and you are to blame for your situation

 

  • Begin offloading a few simple tasks to others so you can see there are talented workers around you capable of so much more than you think.  If you work for someone, ask for their help in dividing your workload

 

  • Take your largest, most time consuming task and break it down into four parts.  Make a plan to delegate at least one of these parts to someone else in the near future.  For example, if you handle software integration give the earliest steps of the process or the last easiest steps of the process to someone else

 

  • Start taking time off.  It may need to be in small increments like 2-3 hours but start the process of letting go and know that you are more productive when you return from time off

Question for You:

Do you act as the office martyr?  Is it hard for you to give up duties because no one can do it as well as you?  Do you resist taking time off because the office would fall apart if you left?

 

Answer for You:

Start training someone else NOW on those tasks that are most critical to the office’s success.  Every business should have two people capable of doing the most critical tasks in an office.  If you are holding onto tasks because “no one can do it as well as you” you are hurting yourself, the office team and the organization as a whole.

How To Quit A Job Without Burning A Bridge

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You have a pit in your stomach anticipating the conversation you need to have with your boss about your new job. How will she react? Will she be upset and ask you to pack your things today or will she show understanding and want you to gradually transition out of the company? Many of us have experienced this situation in our jobs when we need to tell our boss something they may not want to hear. If you have been extremely unhappy with your position for quite some time, then this conversation may be easy for you, but for the rest of us, we lose sleep for days anticipating our boss’s reaction.

Many of us do not care if we burn a bridge with our employer because we would never expect to work with them again. While in most cases this is probably true, I have found that time can produce some strange circumstances. You may need to work with your boss on a community project once you leave, or even stranger yet, your boss may become your client someday. You just never know what turn of events may have you needing to work with your boss or others from your current organization.

So, how do you approach this conversation with the best odds of maintaining the relationship with your boss and the organization and not burn a bridge? While there are no guarantees, I would try these seven tips to improve your chance for success:

• Timing is important. If your boss is busy putting out fires, find a way to delay your message another day or two.

 • Show your appreciation for the experience. Once you find a quiet moment, let your boss know how much you have learned and gained from your time working with her.

 • Tell the truth attractively. In other words, let your boss know that you found an opportunity to challenge your abilities in a new way that opens up new doors for you. This is not the place to tell a boss that you are leaving because of their poor leadership. Wait for the exit interview with human resources or with the boss at a later time. During the exit interview give one or two critiques that are short and factual with a voice that shows more compassion than disdain.

• Give as much notice as possible. Whenever you accept a new position, it is best to let the new employer know that you want to give your current employer as much lead time as possible to fill your position. I realize this is not always possible but your new employer should understand this is as they would want the same offer when an employee leaves. Two weeks is standard for most positions but three or four weeks will be appreciated and may help you maintain the relationship. The higher level positions need the most time to replace.

 • Offer to train the new person. If your boss believes you are staying focused and positive in your position while in transition, she will allow you to train the new person and it will take a load off her plate.

• Don’t bad mouth your current boss to others. This is the time to take the high road and not criticize your current boss to others. Bad news always travels quickly and your current boss will find out! Be consistent in your message and let others know that you found a more challenging position.

 • Be ready if they ask you to pack your things. Even if you do all the steps above, there is no guarantee that they will allow you to stay on. The variables that allow you to stay include your current relationship with your boss, your boss’s maturity level and whether you are going to a competitor’s business when you leave. Initially, you may experience a draft of cold air coming from your boss and others when you let them know of your decision to leave. The draft may warm a bit after the initial shock wears off but you may need to wear a warm coat for the full transition time.

 Change is always difficult even when you are the one initiating the change. In the world of business, it is usually wiser to maintain relationships whenever possible versus burning bridges. By following the seven steps above you will be closer to keeping important relationships alive which may come in handy down the road.